Power, Courage and Wisdom
by Boethas
Summary: The epic legend of The Hero of Time. The battle between good and evil. The prophecy of Link. (Oot canon). Romance maybe in later chapters. Who knows? Depends on reviews.
1. Prologue

Power, Courage and Wisdom

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**Disclaimer: **All characters, places and names are copyright of Nintendo™ from their Legend of Zelda franchise. Only the story and my original characters are mine.

**A/N: **This is one of my old stories which I decided to finally type up. This is only the PROLOGUE. The real story starts in the next chapter. It is not finished yet. I will type up what I have written and if the public wants more, I will give them more. Therefore I will let YOU (yes you, dear reader) help me decide what to write next. E.g. What type of romance you'd like Link to have, if you want it more angsty, if you want more action etc. Lucky you.

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PROLOGUE 

A blue serene sky in the background, wrapped around a world named Hyrule. A world where a legend began, where a story unfolded, where a destiny sparked. A universe where foes and heroes roamed the land and where magic, courage and power hid in the darkest folds of one's heart.

The beginning of a journey across secret paths and parallel universes. The beginning of the struggles between good and evil. The beginning of a myth and the burden of a prophecy nestling in the hands of one boy. The fate of Hyrule descends upon the mortal soul.


	2. Ganondorf Dragmire

Power, Courage and Wisdom

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            "Look! It's a boy!!" was the breathless shout of the over-excited midwife. A red-haired mother, propped up in a bed inside a tent, looked at her son and beamed weakly. Both, dark skinned and exhausted, were Gerudos.

            "Our king has been born," whispered the midwife into the hot, vibrating air around them.

            "Has it been a hundred years already, Ruda? Since our last King?" said the tired mother. The midwife, Ruda, was still too lost in her own world to hear her much. Every Gerudo king was put down in history, every Gerudo King was a blessing to their race, every Gerudo King brought prosperity and fortune and a peace of mind. And she, Ruda, had brought him into the world. She was more than overjoyed.

            "Your son will be our King, Gohma! Imagine that! Our king! We have lived to see a Gerudo King! _Your _son! Rejoice!" exclaimed Ruda who began packing away instruments and measuring the baby in an extremely good mood. After not getting the response she expected to, Ruda studied Gohma. "What's the matter, Gohma? Didn't you hear what I said?"

            Gohma indeed looked pale and drawn. The shadows under her eyes were dark and she was glistening with the exertion of the birthing.

            "Please don't criticise me, Ruda, but…I had hoped my baby would be a girl," she said, ashamed. Ruda bit back her outcry of surprise and instead looked at Gohma questioningly.

            "I," began Gohma, "I had hoped so because…it's as if I had no child at all now. He will be taken away from me to be trained and brought up properly as our King by Mabera and the Elders. I shan't see him ever again."

            "I understand that, Gohma," said the midwife slowly, "but because of you our race can once again rise to its feet and maybe recover some of its old and forgotten dignity. You have been blessed with this boy. It's a gift. For you and for all of us." Gohma hung her head and nodded.

            "Get some rest now, dear. I will take care of the child. You'll be very busy from now one once word gets 'round that our King has been born. Our _King_! You should be proud! It's not every day a male is born, now is it?" she chuckled at herself and proceeded to mop Gohma's overheated forehead.

            "Thank you," smiled Gohma at last and fell soundly asleep.

* * * * * * * * * * * *  * * * * 

            The Gerudos were a strong race, warriors in heart, made up solely of females that were ruled by one male every hundred years. Which was why Gohma was up and about by the next day. She had gone to talk to the Elders and had been given permission to keep her son until the Ceremony where he would be introduced officially as their king.

            The baby was unusually large but apart from that it looked like ay other Gerudo. The flaming-red hair, the tanned complexion, the golden eyes… Only this child emanated a tangible difference from him. But what a baby! His eyes held something deeper and every Gerudo that came by to see him commented on this. Maybe all the Gerudo Kings were like this? None of _them _had lived a hundred years to find out and compare. But how hopeful they were! The ruthless, harsh, cold-hearted women strutted around Gerudo Valley smiling lightly to themselves. No raids were made during this time. No men were abducted for their own pleasures; they were pleased enough at that moment. No murders or theft or crimes were committed while every Gerudo mind was filled with possibilities of good-fortune for their race and land. The future was bright for the Gerudos.  Life would be good from now on until the death of their new King. Life would be good…

* * * * * * * *  * 

            Red-haired Gerudos from all over the Valley were milling about at the place where the Ceremony would be held. From the lowest ranked Gerudos that milked the cows to the highly esteemed Gerudos that were the deadliest of warriors looked up in gleeful expectation at the staged altar where the Elders would appear. Gohma was standing casually within the crowd with her son slung carelessly over her breast. Not surprisingly, Gerudos crowded around her. Some in admiration or curiosity, others in envy. 

Without warning the sky darkened and that was the cue for all of them to quieten and focus their attention on the raised altar. Three shrouded figures emerged from the curtained background slowly. Gohma's face was hard but held up high, like a true Gerudo, while she strode over to hand over her only son. The Elders took the baby silently and waved Gohma away. She nodded respectfully and clambered gracefully back down without looking back.

The Gerudo in the centre, Mabera, held the baby high and closed her eyes while the other two placed their hands upon the altar. An ancient chant formed in their opened mouths; "Come hither winds of time

     And bring this ancient child

     The guardians of his destiny."

At these words a blinding flash erupted from the sky and two small, flying shadows descended from above. The fabled witch twins, seen once every century on the day of the Ceremony, each sat on a broomstick hovering on the air. One donned an icy blue crystal and the other a ruby on her forehead. Nothing more but withering hags looked down upon the feisty race of the Gerudos with wicked, calculating eyes.

"_Ganondorf Dragmire!" _they screeched in unison. With the naming of their King the Ceremony was over, the witches would leave and the Elders would disappear with the child and not be seen again until the baby boy was old enough to rule. Supposedly. 

Instead, without warning, the hags Koume and Kotake swooped down and snatched the child King from the Elder's grasp. A stunned outcry followed this and all eyes locked upon the precariously dangling baby from one of the witch's broomstick.

"Sisters!" they cried, "_we _will take care of the King this time. This one is special. Do not interfere." Another blinding flash and they were gone - along with their new King.


	3. Roots of Evil

            **A/N: **Quite a long-ish chapter. Link will soon appear, don't worry. I'm establishing the history as Oot kind of lacks one… If you're clever, though, you may find a reference to Link and Zelda in this chapter….

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Koume's and Kotake's reason for taking in Ganondorf Dragmire was one that only the most corrupt at heart could guess. This babe king was the one they had been waiting for eons. The Gerudo King, born in this century, to uphold the prophecy of the Gerudo, was _this _future Gerudo King. The King that would lead them into unimaginable riches and fortune. Yes, this was him. That sleeping child with curly tufts of hair over his bald head. He would rule them all. And not  _just _the Gerudos… Being the only race not gifted with pointy ears gave them a certain right, no?

            By age five, Ganondorf was well instructed in the lores of Hyrule. He read with religious interest every book and parchment concerning the sacred Triforce which embodied the power of the three Goddesses of creation. But that was not enough. The witches stoked his greed, giving him nothing but a hungering lust for power. At age 12, he was already being taught how to wield powers and magic akin to that of Koume and Kotake's. They didn't love Ganondorf and he had been shown not to love either. It was a weakness, a sickness, they had said. And if he showed any ounce of pity when battling the hags, he was severely punished. Be tough, be ruthless, be merciless, they had said. And Ganondorf, living alone in a cold empty temple with no-one but two power-starved old twins, obeyed. Why not? Surely these two powerful beings with ancient knowledge were supreme. Surely they were right. But that didn't stop young Ganondorf from despising them. They'd look at him as if he were some inanimate object they could use for their own pleasure. And that _was_ what they saw and how they treated him. An evil King foretold. Nothing more, nothing less.

            "What do you intend on doing, Dragmire? You cannot expect to live with us forever," said one of the twins, to a 15 year old Ganondorf, one day. He looked up lazily from a book he had been reading and said coldly, "I should have hoped not. As for your question…that is none of your business."

            Koume bristled angrily but said nothing and left Ganondorf alone. The young King looked back down at the book with detached interest. This bit was about the prophecies of three mortal people. The Triforce would be split into three parts and bury themselves within the hearts of these three people if one of evil heart…

            _Nothing but a fool's story_, thought Ganondorf bitterly. He was tired of being imprisoned within the Spirit Temple. What did the hag's want him for? With this in mind, Ganondorf made up his mind to leave and fulfil his _own _wishes, not the twin's. He was about to leave the vast Temple when Koume and Kotake flashed angrily before him.

            "Where in Gerudo do you think you're doing??" they squawked together. Ganondorf sighed frustrated.

            "What do you think? I'm leaving. I've learnt enough," he said.

            "Oh no you haven't! You'll never _survive_ the Desert Colossus! You'll _die _before even reaching Gerudo Valley! You're a pathetic weakling!" they screeched. Ganondorf was visibly trying to control his rage.

            "_What- do- you- care_-" he began. But the twin's cackled before him and flew into the air, circling around him.

            "What do we CARE? We don't care about _you,_ Dragmire, but we've brought you up to be _just _like this. Headstrong and cold. We've got what we wanted. You will be just the King the Gerudos need and you will destroy the Hylians and every other race until we are all but left! The perfect tyrant. Our dear, Ganondorf!"

            "I care _nothing _for the Gerudos! You blundering hags, I will do what I please. I care only for the Triforce. I will obtain it and rule over all the lands in Hyrule. Everyone will do as I say, including you, because I will be unstoppable. I will become the King of Evil."

            The twin's swapped glances and, strangely enough, nodded. "Dragmire! If you can defeat us, we will allow you to leave! Otherwise we would have wasted 15 years of our lives if you go and kill yourself."

            "I would kill myself if it meant your displeasure. But I will beat you, Twinrova."

            Koume and Kotake each touched the crystals on their forehead and shrieked, announcing the commencement of the fight. They swooped down on Ganondorf who was unprepared and knocked him over with a combined ice and fire attack. Ganondorf painfully got up in time to dodge Kotake's ice blast and rolled out of the way of Koume's fire. Once out of harm's way he shot purple energy from both his hands at the two twins. He spotted Koume defenceless before him and was about to attack her when he was shot from behind by Kotake. Cunning witch! Numbing the pain down to a minimum, Ganondorf continued dodging attacks and firing his own until the twin's landed on the ground exhausted, seemingly defeated. Ganondorf shakily stood up and was about to turn around when Kotake and Koume called his attention.

            "We're not finished _yet, _boy. _Kotake and Koume's Double Dynamite Attack!_" They merged into one huge hideous being resembling a crude female Gerudo. Twinrova hurled fire and ice at him at a fevered pitch making Ganondorf switch his strategy. He formed a force field around each hand in which he absorbed the sorceresses' fire. After a few hits of absorbing fire on his left hand and ice on his right, Ganondorf unleashed the accumulated energy onto Twinrova causing her to crumple to the floor. Sparing only a minute to recompose himself, Ganondorf Dragmire left the Spirit Temple at last.


End file.
